November 27

In this edition of the Football History Headlines, we discuss Heisman winners from Michigan and Notre Dame, Grey Cup games with Os Davis of the Truly the GOAT podcast as well as many more Football Hall of Fame Legendary stories.

Football fans, delve into the past! Today's date is etched in NFL history. From legendary trades that shook the league to record-breaking performances on the gridiron, exciting moments unfolded on this very day. We'll explore game-changing events, iconic players who dominated the field, and pivotal decisions that altered the course of franchises. So, buckle up and get ready to revisit the fascinating stories that make NFL history so captivating!

Heisman Awards

November 27, 1940 - Tom Harmon becomes the first Michigan player to ever win the Heisman Trophy Award. The running back of the Wolverines was the 6th player to win  the trophy named in honor of the legendary coach John Heisman.

November 27, 1943 - U.S. Marine Boot Camp - Angelo Bertelli is handed a telegram in boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina informing him that he had just won the Heisman Trophy for 1943. Bertelli had just completed playing football as the QB of Notre Dame. He was the first Notre Dame player to win the coveted award per the Irish Legends web page.  

News from 1954 through 1956 

November 27, 1954 - Birmingham, Alabama - In the 19th Iron Bowl it was those Auburn Tigers who came out on top over theCrimson Tide of Alabama 28-0.
 
November 27, 1956 - The 1957 NFL Draft took place and it was Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung who was the first pick by Green Bay Packers.
 
November 27, 1960 - New AFL teams in the heat of battle as the Buffalo Bills tie the Denver Broncos at 38-38. The Democrat and Chronicle fills us in on the details,  that the Bills found a way to blow a 31-point third-quarter lead and were fortunate to hold on for a 38-38 tie when the defense stopped the Broncos’ last drive and Denver settled for Gene Mingo’s 19-yard tying field goal with four seconds remaining. Bills coach Buster Ramsey was quoted as saying;  “For the first three quarters I watched the greatest display of defensive football I’ve seen in the league this year. Every man had almost perfect execution on every play. Then, for reasons that I cannot put a finger on, the whole thing collapsed.”
 

1966 Draft and an Iron Bowl memory 

November 27, 1965 - 1966 NFL Draft was held on this day and the number one pick was Tommy Nobis from University of Texas who was picked by the Atlanta Falcons. The franchise had come into existence on June 30 earlier in the same year per ESPN.com.  https://www.espn.com/blog/sportscenter/post/_/id/62824/this-day-in-sportsthe-city-of-atlanta-gets-its-nfl-wings
 
November 27, 1965 - Birmingham - Alabama outplays Auburn 30-3 in 30th Iron Bowl.  

Washington High Score

November 27, 1966 - D.C.Stadium, Washington - In highest-scoring NFL game with the teams combining for 113 points, the Washington Redskins out raced the New York Giants in a track meet game of 72-41 per a Washington Post story on the event. The Washington club scored 10 touchdowns in the contest and picked off 5 Giants passes to help the team get over the 70 point threshold. 

Iron Bowl Blitz 

November 27, 1971 - Birmingham - The 36th Iron Bowl was somewhat of a one sided affair as Tide washed out the Tigers 31-7.
 
November 27, 1976 - Birmingham - Alabama dominated Auburn 38-7 in the 41st edition of the Iron Bowl Game.
 
November 27, 1982 - Legion Field, Birmingham - “Bo Over the Top” The 47th Iron Bowl was one that maybe best defines the Auburn/Alabama rivalry. The Bleacher Report put together a nice article on the game that has all the details but here are the highlights according to their story. The setting before the game is that Alabama had basically owned the series for about 25 seasons with Bear Bryant at the helm of the Tide. The Crimson squad seemed poised to chalk up another “W” for their seasoned coach as they outgained the Tigers 507 to 257 total yards in Bryant’s final Iron Bowl before his untimely passing in the upcoming offseason. The stats don’t tell the whole story though unless you look at a young Tigers halfback named Bo Jackson, who racked up 144 yards and a TD near then end to seal a 23-22 Auburn victory over their rivals. This was Auburn's first win in the Iron Bowl in 10 years! Bo Knows how to break streaks!
 
November 27, 1987 - Legion Field, Birmingham - In their annual SEC matchup it was the Auburn Tigers who blanked the Crimson Tide of Alabama 10-0 in the 52nd Iron Bowl thanks to onthisday.com for this info.

Turkey Day fun for Sanders 

November 27, 1997 - The Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan - After falling behind 17-3, the Detroit Lions scored a Motor City Thanksgiving Day record 55 points against the Bears according to the undefeated.com. The Lions really roared to life in the second half when erupted for 38 points to help lead them to a 55-20 victory over their opponents from the Windy City. Lions' Barry Sanders on the day rushed 19 times for 167 yards and 3 scores as he forgot about the turkey and feasted on the Bears defense on the national day of thanks!

74th Iron Bowl

November 27, 2009 - Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama - The version number 74 of the Iron Bowl kept fans on the edge of their seats. According to ESPN.com, the second ranked Tide took the lead with 1:24 left in the contest and thwarted a late Tigers charge to escape with a 26-21 come from behind victory.  

Lou Holtz Hired

November 27, 1985 - South Bend, Indiana- The University of Notre Dame named Lou Holtz as its 25th coach per the Irish Legends web page.  Holtz had a great run as the headman of the Irish from 1986 through the 1996 season as he led them to a 100-32-2 record as he coached more ND football games than anyone in history. His win total was second only to the great Knute Rockne. Under his guidance the Golden Domers played in 9 New Year’s Day bowl games, finished in the top 6 of the AP rankings five times and went undefeated and claimed the National Championship plus earned the Coach of the Year Award from more than a few sources. http://www.irishlegends.com/Pages/calendar/11.asp  https://und.com/coach/lou-holtz/

Dexter Very

November 27, 1889 - Fairdale, Pennsylvania  - Dexter Very the prolific Penn State University End was born. During the 1912 season according to footballfoundation.com, Dexter scored 9 touchdowns in 8 games as he carried an average gain of 13 plus yards on every run around end. The National Football Foundation selected Dexter Very to enter into the College Football hall of Fame in 1976.

Johnny Blood

November 27, 1903 - Johnny Blood McNally was a larger than life player who played running back in the NFL for the Packers from 1929 through 1933, took 1934 off then returned in 1935 and 1936. Johnny also played for the Milwaukee Badgers, Duluth Eskimos, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pottsville Maroons. He attended college at St,. John’s of Minnesota and played football there in 1921 and 1922. According to a story on Packers.com Johnny adopted the alias Johnny Blood while playing sandlot football and turned it into one of the most magical names in sports. There are also reports that the alias “Blood” was denoted from a popular Rudolph Valentino movie title “ Blood and Sand.” It also was a fitting name for one of the game's most colorful and eccentric players. Most important, Blood was pro football's first big playmaker. Like most of the Packers' great backs of the Iron Man Era, Blood was a proficient receiver, runner, passer, punter and defender.Johnny Blood was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Ken O'Brien

November 27, 1960 - Ken O’Brien the quarterback who played for both UC Davis and Sacramento State was born. After the 1982 Season he was voted as a Division II All-American at his position and per the NFF ranked No. 2 in total offense and No. 3 in passing efficiency in DII. Ken’s 23 TD passes in just 10 games and his .611 completion led his Cal Davis team to a perfect 10-0 record until they lost in the National Division II final to Southwest Texas. The NFF Board of voters inducted Ken O’Brien into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Ken had a brilliant eleven year NFL career with the Jets and the Eagles. 

Frank Sheptock

November 27, 1963 - Shamokin, Pennsylvania - Frank Sheptock the linebacker from Bloomsburg came into this life. Sheptock was a 3 time All-American with the Bloomsburg Huskies of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Frank Sheptock was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

OL -Larry Allen

November 27, 1971 - Larry Allen began his college football career at Butte Junior College in Oroville, California before transferring to Sonoma State, a Division II school near San Francisco according to the profootballhof.com website bio on him. The stock rose high enough that the Dallas Cowboys in the 1994 NFL Draft picked Larry with their second round pick, number 46 overall of the draft. Larry had versatility and this was proven as he played every position on the Cowboys line in his 12 seasons with the team except center. Larry played 14 seasons overall in the NFL as he spent a couple in San Francisco and in that span he played in 11 Pro Bowls and had seven straight All-Pro Seasons. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Larry Allen in 2013.